Interactive Fiction
Introduction Introduction Paragraph - Definition of the Genre Interactive fiction (IF), or text adventure games, defines a genre of literature that incorporates an engaging environment where characters are controlled by users through textual commands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction#History. The forms of IF include literary narratives and video games. Text and graphical text adventure games are characterized by text-based and graphics-based interfaces respectively. The interactive environment prompts the user to make constructive decisions based on the choices offered as the user advances through the text. (Moustafa) Introduction Paragraph - History of the Genre Interactive fiction, often called text adventure games, ranges through many different styles from online games (like Zork) to novels (in which you would be told to flip through to different pages based on the decisions you want your character to make). The first text adventure game was created in 1976 by Will Crowther, a young programmerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction#History. His game, ''Collosal Cave 'Adventure'', was a simple, text-based cave exploration game with a computer narrator that understood two word commands. Interactive fiction games were wildly popular in the 1980s when home computers had extremely limited graphics capability. Since then, as computer technology has exponentially grown, these interactive fiction games have become obsolete compared to new video game consoles such as the Xbox and Playstation, but there are still some games online which are distributed for free and interactive novels are still sold in bookstores. (TUPP) Introduction Paragraph - Key Features Interactive fiction is a type of electronic literature, though it is differentiated from other types of electronic literature by its stronger gaming element.http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html When it comes to the gaming format, many of the titles such as ''Zork'' and ''Savoir-Faire'' ask the user to input information in order to make the next step or move, and in both of these cases the number of moves made and points scored are recorded. These scoring systems and the challenges presented to the user when participating in the story define the gaming aspect of the genre.'' ''Adding to the genre's gaming element,'' Zork'' ''I ''was even included in a modern day video game, Call of Duty Black Ops, as a hidden feature that could be discovered by entering a code into an in game computer terminal.http://www.gamespot.com/features/call-of-duty-black-ops-walkthrough-6284076/?page=4 While interactive fiction has a strong gaming element, there are some key features that give it a literary element as well. (Jenkins) Interactive fiction can be compared to many types of traditional literary genres, most notably, mystery and science fiction. In a mystery novel, the criminal is never revealed until the end, and it is the job of the reader to solve the crime before the author tells you.http://www.malinche.net/interactivefictionasliterature.html In interactive fiction, you have a goal of scoring the most points or "beating the game," which could also be described as beating the writer. Science fiction novels attempt to create a new environment that is not present in everyday life. In much the same way, interactive fiction attempts to transform the "reader" into one of the characters in the game, giving the reader an alternative reality. (Harshman) ''Lost Pig ''(Harshman) ''Lost Pig'' is an interactive fiction game written by “Admiral Jota.”http://www.grunk.org/lostpig/ It has won first place in the Interactive Fiction Competition, best game, best writing, best individual non-player character, and best individual player character.http://www.xyzzynews.com/2007winners.html This is a text adventure game as there are no graphics for the reader to look at. The game is notable for its use of humor peppered throughout the game. The protagonist is a character by the name of “Grunk,” who works at a pig farm. Grunk is a less-than-intelligent person, and thus drives the string of humorous events that happen throughout the game. Grunk’s lack of any grammatical skills add to the humor of the game, but it also does make it a little harder to read as you have to actually translate each individual sentence into proper English. A sample of this grammar is, “Grunk like working at pig farm, so now Grunk need find pig.” I imagine this character to be very much like the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street. What drives the game is that Grunk allegedly did not close a gate, and one of the pigs on the farm escaped, and Grunk has to find the pig and bring it back to the farm or else he loses his job on the farm. You find the pig early on in the game, and once I did that, I thought it would be easy to get the pig back to the farm, but it is not. Without a walkthrough, I never would have been able to actually pick up the pig. The game’s humor really does set it apart from other interactive fiction games though. At one point in the game, the pig will rip Grunk’s pants off, and while it really doesn’t add anything to the story line, it is just one of the many subtle things in the game that make it that much more enjoyable. As far as I can tell, there is only one way to win the game.This does not mean that is the only way the story can go however, and that’s what sets interactive fiction apart from other types of literature. I played this game twice, first without the walkthrough, and the second time with it. I got further than I thought I would the first time, but I ultimately killed Grunk, the pig, and the farmer when I caught everything on fire. When I used the walkthrough, I was able to return the pig to the farmer, but I was amazed at the amount of detail and specificity needed to actually complete the task. The only real complaint I had for the game was that I was not able to get the hints to work. Every time I would click on one, it would freeze the game. Other than that, I really did enjoy this piece of interactive fiction. Although this game may not go down as one of the greatliterary pieces of all time such as ''The Great Gatsby'', it still has its place in the literary ranks. ''Lost Pig'' has a distinct storyline that allows the “reader” to not get too lost and stay on track. Much like looking ata piece of fine art, ''Lost Pig'' will make you think. Maybe not in the same way, but it will challenge every problem-solving brain cell you have. It will definitely frustrate you, especially when you corner the pig and still can’t pick it up, but you can be sure that the actions of Grunk will be humorous enough that the urge to laugh will outweigh the urge to throw your computer out the window. Savoir-Faire (Jeremy) incomplete ''Savoir-Faire'' is an award winning piece of Interactive Fiction created by Emily Short.http://www.xyzzynews.com/2002winners.html It operates primarily as a game, though it also features a prominent literary component. The game is operated using textual input from the user to guide the character's actions and movement. The player takes on the role of Pierre, who returns to the house where he grew up in search of something. Pierre possesses magical abilities that are used throughout the game to solve puzzles, and these puzzles require "the user to make a leap of inference from one device to another that resembles it in function."http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html For example, there is a scene in the game where you must magically link a set of doors to a teapot, and once they are linked you open the teapot in order to open the doors. The goal of the game is not immediately apparent upon starting, though you discover more as you move along just as you would reading a book. The literary aspect comes from this need to discover the story as you play, and using verbs like "examine" and "remember" in reference to objects found throughout the game offers a fair amount of well written information regarding the character's past. So, not only do you find yourself playing Savoir-Faire, you often find yourself engrossed in the written portions as well. It effectively functions as both a game and piece of literary art, providing both an intriguing puzzle and amazing imagery and detail through its textual components. Emily Short's creation of Savoir-Faire as a piece of interactive fiction shows us how good electronic literature can be when all of the right elements come together. Savoir-Faire offers the user a very engaging experience that challenges them with mind bending puzzles and rewards them with a fascinating story and textual imagery that stimulates the imagination. The gaming aspect of Savoir-Faire is extremely challenging, and one would find it quite difficult to complete without a walk-through like the one created by David Welbourn.ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/solutions/savoir.html There are challenging puzzles, mazes, and required discoveries throughout the game. These challenges make reading the story a much more involved task, and they really exercise the reader's problem solving skills and patience. Instead of simply observing the story, interactive fiction such as Savoir-Faire requires the reader to become a participant and engage in the story itself. While there is a conclusion at the end of the game that is meant to be reached, user decisions can alter the exact course one takes to the conclusion, and sometimes even make the conclusion unreachable. There is a scene in the game where the player creates a chocolate rose that must be magically linked to the roses guarding the shed, and then it must be eaten in order to make the roses disappear. If the rose is eaten before it is linked to the roses on the shed, you will never have access to a ladder that is required for the completion of the game. These types of variable outcomes are what tend to define interactive fiction as more game than fiction. Savoir-Faire, as well as other interactive fiction, effectively transform the act of reading from a leisurely activity into a challenging gaming experience. Although Savoir-Faire proves itself to be a rather challenging game, its literary aspects should not be overlooked as it successfully functions as a work of fiction as well. Emily Short does not forget the importance of language and writing style in Savoir-Faire, but instead uses them to enhance the entire interactive fiction experience. Le Moustafa Riley In 1975, William Crowther wrote a game for his daughters where the player had to explore a cave, which would be the first text based game of its kind. Crowther was an avid player of Dungeons and Dragons and the game used a similar interaction style, where the player speaks to a game master. But it was Don Woods expanded version of Adventure, released in 1976, that became the most famous version of the text based game. Equipped with good story telling, fantasy elements, and challenging puzzles, Adventure would quickly bring attention to a hot new genre of Interactive Fiction. Tupp References